Federer goes old school for the win

It was a real treat watching Roger Federer win the Cincinnati Masters tournament this past weekend. It was a treat because of the style he played – serve and volley.

Paul Crocetti Waltham News Tribune @WalthamNewsTrib

It was a real treat watching Roger Federer win the Cincinnati Masters tournament this past weekend. It was a treat because of the style he played – serve and volley.

It’s so rare to see that style nowadays with the baseline game so often played. But it adds some excitement to the game when you make your opponent hit one by you.

And so Federer did that against the likes of Gael Monfils, Andy Murray, Milos Raonic and David Ferrer – all excellent players. In one game in the championship, Ferrer seemed to succeed and pass Federer every time he came to net, but Ferrer couldn’t sustain that level. And it’s a level that’s very hard to sustain.

This all makes for an exciting next couple of weeks, as the U.S. Open starts on Monday. Federer could really shake things up by continuing his serve-and-volley play. The other players simply aren’t used to it. And with arch-rival Rafael Nadal out of the Open with an injury, the draw opens up a bit for Federer – it could be that extra push he needs for major title #18.